Monday, November 21, 2011

Oh
how Natasha Bedingfield often sings my heart and mind. And you have to love that
name.

Anyway,
today’s blog was inspired by two events in popular culture.

Last
night, I was watching the AMAs on my television and via Twitter. Taylor Swift won quite a few awards and I
noticed that my timelines erupted with much support for Kanye’s treatment of
Swift a couple of years ago at the VMA’s.
For the record, I believed Kanye was rude then and I still believe he
was rude now. From where I stood, Swift
did nothing to West. She just won an
award that he believed belonged to another artist. However, for those of us who don’t mind
venturing to radio stations that play Top 100 fare, we know you couldn’t turn
the radio on without hearing her songs.
She was as inescapable as the Beyonce that she won against.

I
digress. So let’s move on to today. A
story was released that spoke of how those attending Nascar event booed First
Lady Michelle Obama. Mind you, she came
to talk about a bipartisan issue. And guess
what? The same people who wanted Kanye to shut people up last night were up in
arms about the country’s First Lady being booed. Mind you, many presidents and their
associates have been booed before. But
oh no, now it’s rude to interrupt someone.

Guess
what, it was rude then and it is rude now.
But I guess all these people will teach their children that it is fine
to be rude to the people we don’t like but it’s blasphemous to be rude to the
people that we adore. Especially when skin color is involved.

On
to the next one. I am a faithful viewer
of most reality shows showcasing singing talent and I am a proud alumna of
Howard University. Nevertheless, when I
watched the Sing-Off, the group Afro Blue that represented my alma mater
disappointed me many times. For one
thing, they were not consistent.
Secondly, as a damn-near connoisseur of these vocal shows, the one thing
I can’t stand hearing beyond the second season of a show is “we don’t do that”
or “we’re not familiar with that.” And Afro-Blue kept saying it week after
week. Once they pretty much said they
didn’t know the words to “We Belong Together” by my beloved Mariah Carey, I
just knew they were not winning. Did I
forget to mention that they wound up in the bottom two on R&B night? How are you the only all-black group and end
up in the bottom two on that night. The
Sing-Off is an acapella show, not a jazz showcase. I like the Dartmouth Aires. They are
entertaining. I like Pentatonix. They’re
talented. I could live without Urban
Method.

But
in all honesty, I couldn’t really get down with Afro Blue. Don’t get me wrong, when they performed well,
I applauded. And I understand that by
affiliation I am supposed to support them.
HOWEVER, anybody who knows me knows that affiliation only means I give
someone a little bit more of a chance.
Affiliation does not make me deaf, dumb or blind to all that I have
learned about music competitions over the years. My support in instances like this is earned
because I don’t know them like that and I know what I like.

I
guess because I’m black and I went to HU, I’m not supposed to feel that way,
right?

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

“Oops
I did it again. I played with your heart. Got lost in the game.”- Britney Spears

When
I was a teenager, this was just a song with a cool video that had my closest
bisexual friend mimicking the choreography in the middle of class. Mind you, he was in the closet then, but this
was a big hint of things to come.

Nevertheless,
I digress. As a person awaiting the
often-fabled thirties, I can’t help but to think how this song has actually
applied to my life over the years.

Despite
being single for nine years, I have to admit some men have attempted to pursue
something of substance with me. Those
nine years are evidence that they failed or I failed. Hell, someone failed.

I can’t
tell you how many times men have gotten frustrated with me after our first
hours-long conversation went extremely well.
Apparently, I’m into a lot of things that other women are not into and a
lot of things that women are into, I’m not.
I can be so involved. Hell, I can learn your whole life story.

As a
former journalist, it’s pretty easy for me to recall information and show
interest. So during any follow-up call,
one may get excited that I recall the little details. I’ll tell you about my day.

But I
kind of have this really bad habit of not initiating communication unless I
really like a guy. It may appear as I’m
playing hard to get. Unfortunately, it really means one has not reached a level
of interest where I feel like calling or texting. And then I get hit with the “I don’t think
you’re really feeling me.” And I tend to want to go “you’re right.”

What
can I say? Like most women, I appreciate the attention, however, it takes a
little more to keep my interest and trust, that more is not arrogance and
cockiness. Maybe I should just stop
smiling and saying hello back.